It was a great night at the Haarhuis Hotel, in the heart of Arnham. After such a wet day yesterday, it was a joy to wake up to the early glimpse of a rising sun, shining the early radiance across the Rhine, promising a slightly warmer day.
There was no usual rush today. I lingered over a sumptuous breakfast, waiting for the Tourist Information Office to open at 9am. I was dressed in my cycling gear, but walked the few doors up the street just on 9am, to discover that on Mondays it doesn’t open until 9:30am! I decided then to pack the bike, and by the time I checked out of the Hotel, and wheeled the loaded bike back to the Information Centre, it was 9:45am. The three staff very heartily welcomed me inside – I was their first customer for the day.
All I needed to do was to clarify the way to the Oosterbeek Military Cemetery. It was literally 5k further west, on the very same road. Too easy. They also gave me a map of the entire region, which showed all the bikeways for miles around. I didn’t know it then, but in the next 48 hrs the map proved its worth. It was actually a gift of Grace. The town of Ede (pronounced (eye’da), my ultimate goal for the day, was just off the edge of the map, but the series of bikeways to get there were all clearly marked from the cemetery. Perfect. I left with a huge burden lifted.
I have written a separate page regarding my visit to the Oosterbeek Military Cemetery – see previous page.
I rolled away heading due west from the Hotel, enjoying the new sights and sounds of Holland. It was amazing to see the streets loaded with cyclists, people of all ages, mums and children, workmen and business people, hundreds all making their way to work or school on their bikes. It was fascinating.
Holland, like Germany, is clean. The homes are beautiful, well kept and all presented nicely to the street. There is not the slightest evidence of rubbish on the ground, not even cigarette butts which is amazing in a culture like Germany where a high percentage of residents smoke cigarettes.
The visit to the Museum of the 1st Airborne Division, and then the Commonwealth Cemetery a few kilometers to the north, will probably rate as a highlight of this cycle tour. I came away from the cemetery without my beloved flag. It is now performing a much higher service!
I picked up the bikeway near the cemetery which pointed to ‘Ede 14k’. I’ve passed through some beautiful forests since Frankfurt, but the experience of the forest between Oosterbeek to Ede was just beautiful beyond words. I couldn’t resist stopping frequently to attempt to capture the beauty of the forest landscape on my tiny camera. The word ‘enchanting’ continually comes to mind.
It was a great run, mostly forest and bypassing several villages before the town of Ede came into view. After negotiating a few outlying streets through a minor industrial area, I came right in on top of the railway station. I had no idea then which way to go. I managed to ask a passer-by, who had as much command of English as I did of Dutch! However, he heard me say ‘Luteren’, which is the next town. The Salvation Army’s ‘50/50 Belmont Hotel’ sits in a street off the main road on the run to Luteren.
The man’s directions were all in Dutch, but I could understand his hand gestures – under the railway, straight ahead, turn left, turn right and then go straight. Got it. I thanked him in my language, but he knew what I meant.
His directions were ‘spot on’. I very soon found myself on the main road to Luteren, my eyes peeled now for the sign that said I had to turn into ‘Goorsteeg’ Road, my home for the next three days. It was about a 6k run from Ede, but it was rather a joyful sight. I wheeled into ‘Goorsteeg’, looking for 66. It wasn’t hard to find. This was a rural area. Farms were spread out on both sides of the road. I bounced over a rail crossing, and after several farm houses (very elegant homes really, with the most beautifully thatched roofs that I have ever seen), I rolled into the spacious grounds of the Salvation Army’s Hotel and recreation centre.
It was a very substantial place. I was glad to arrive. It was about 3pm. The mileage for the day was barely 40k, but nevertheless one of the more memorable days of the trip.
I messaged Julie on Facebook from the hallway outside of her conference, but had to wait until afternoon tea break to report in. It was another highlight to be together again, on the opposite side of the world. It was good to share dinner together, to meet many new friends from all around the world, and to tell more than a few stories of what has been one of the great adventures of my life, to this point in time at least.
From the edge of the beautiful forest surrounding the lovely towns of Ede and Luteren in southern Holland, I send my love.
Tomorrow is a well earned Rest Day. Thanks for following me on this incredible journey!
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